Volume 7
Chapter 6
"Hah..."
After classes ended,
Camilla was on the rooftop watching the students go home, letting out a deep
sigh in her dejection.
"What should I
do..."
With the incident
caused by Ken brought to light and his subsequent expulsion, the malice had now
turned towards Lisa.
It wasn't that there
were no sympathetic opinions, but the majority of students still looked at Lisa
with cold eyes.
What came to mind was
the image of Lisa, tormented by guilt and wasting away.
Wanting to do
something, she had tried talking to her in various ways and encouraging her,
but there had been no results.
When she called out to
her, Lisa would put on a brave face and say, "I'm okay," and
apologize, saying, "Sorry for getting you involved."
"No, no! With
Nozomu bedridden, I have to be strong..."
She shook her head
vigorously to change her mood.
What was fortunate for
her was that Nozomu had not been consumed by revenge against Lisa.
Lisa was still
managing to hold on precisely because Nozomu, instead of being driven by rage
and blaming her, had suppressed his anger and shown her concern.
If Nozomu had directed
his fury at Lisa, her spiritual pillar would have surely been completely
shattered.
Still, she was
probably near her limit. Lisa was growing weaker day by day from the malice
directed at her from her surroundings.
"Anyway, for now,
I'll stay with Lisa as much as I can. I have to do what I can..."
While gritting her
teeth at her inability to save her best friend's heart, she confirmed what she
had to do and slapped her own cheeks to fire herself up.
"Alright, now
that I've decided, I'll go find Lisa... huh?"
"Ah..."
Just as Camilla was
about to go and find Lisa, she spotted a figure at the rooftop entrance,
looking around restlessly.
It was Camilla's
classmate, Tima.
She was looking around
restlessly, as if searching for someone, but she seemed somewhat unsettled.
"...Is something
wrong?"
"Ah,
C-Camilla-san..."
Spoken to, Tima
finally noticed Camilla's presence.
Due to the rumors
about Nozomu that had been rampant before, Camilla had hardly ever spoken to
Tima.
However, since Tima
herself had a quiet personality to begin with, it was somewhat easier to talk
to her.
That being said, due
to her guilt towards Nozomu, they weren't on terms to chat with bright
smiles...
"U-Umm... I-I-I'm
looking for A-A-Ai, have you, have you s-seen her?"
Tima was also very
tense, as her feelings about Camilla were complicated.
The words that came
out of her mouth could hardly be called fluent, and the tone of her voice was
strange.
"I-Irisdina-san?
Sh-She probably already went to Nozomu's place, don't you think..."
"R-Right... Ugh,
I didn't make it in time."
Hearing Irisdina's
name, a tension ran across Camilla's face.
Tima had intended to
talk to Irisdina today, but she hadn't had the chance and ended up not being
able to talk to her until after school.
Right after the final
homeroom ended, Irisdina had left the classroom immediately, and although Tima
had chased after her, she had ended up losing her.
On the other hand,
Camilla was also looking at the girl, who was hanging her head, with mixed
feelings.
"...Hey, why
don't you say anything?"
"Eh?"
The question had
slipped out unintentionally.
At the sudden words,
Tima blinked her eyes.
"N-No. I thought
that from your perspective, it wouldn't be unreasonable for us to be showered
with insults..."
Although it had become
ambiguous in the midst of the various troubles after the incident caused by
Ken, Camilla had been prepared to be verbally abused by Irisdina and the
others.
But as it turned out,
even after two weeks, nothing had been said. On the contrary, she was even
asked about her injured right leg with concern.
Why would they treat
us like that?
Although she didn't
say it out loud, that question had been on her mind for a while.
"That's right.
When we heard the story from Nozomu-kun, everyone was very indignant. Mars-kun
in particular was furious, and he was even pressing Nozomu-kun, who wasn't
angry..."
"Hahaha... I see."
Perhaps it was too
much for her to be told that again, as Camilla's shoulders slumped and she hung
her head.
"Nozomu-kun said
it too. That he was angry...
But more than that, he
looked sad... When we saw Nozomu-kun like that, we couldn't say anything
either."
Camilla couldn't help
but tear up.
She had known. That
Nozomu, even while suppressing his anger, had wished for Lisa to recover.
And a feeling of
gratitude welled up for them, who were respecting Nozomu's will.
"If Nozomu-kun
doesn't say anything, then I won't say anything either. So for now, I just want
him to wake up soon. I guess that's about it for my feelings? But Ai
is..."
"..."
Tima's expression,
which had been smiling wryly until just before, clouded over.
At the name of Irisdina
that came from her mouth, Camilla's expression also tightened.
"I think you've
noticed too, Camilla-san, but Ai has been acting a little strange lately,
hasn't she? Like she's forcing herself somewhere..."
"Is that, as I
thought..."
Tima fidgeted with her
fingertips as if hesitating, and gave a small nod to Camilla's question.
"Yeah. My
feelings for Nozomu-kun and Ai's feelings are different..."
Irisdina Francilt has
feelings for Nozomu. Anyone who knew the situation a little would know.
Camilla had also seen
Irisdina snuggled up next to him when she had happened to encounter them in the
city.
"I think this is
the first time I've seen such a painful look on Ai's face..."
Tima's murmur melted
into the wind.
Camilla, with a pained
expression, could say nothing and had to remain silent.
But from her sad
profile, she could tell as if she were holding it in her hand just how much
Tima was worried about the two of them.
"What will you
do, Camilla-san?"
Tima returned her gaze
to Camilla.
Camilla looked down
and thought for a moment, then slowly looked up at the sky.
The setting sun was
dyeing the endlessly vast sky red.
"I guess my
feelings are the same as Nozomu's. I want Lisa to recover. Because she's my
best friend, and my savior..."
In a sense,
Lisa and I are equally guilty. Camilla thought that they had both failed to believe
in Nozomu until the end, and had ended up making him suffer for two long years.
Her desire for Lisa to
recover was the same as his. However, in bearing the same sin, she was decisively
different from him.
That was something she
was forced to understand when she looked at the current Lisa.
But still...
"...I see."
Tima gave a small
smile, and Camilla nodded as if in reply.
"Besides, I still
haven't properly apologized to Nozomu. He might shake his head and say he
doesn't mind, but still... hmm?"
Even with a sarcastic
smile on her lips, the color of grief had faded from Camilla's voice.
At that moment, a
group loitering behind the deserted school building caught Camilla's eye.
From a distance, she
couldn't tell what they were doing. Of course, she couldn't hear their voices
either, but they were giving off an atmosphere that was anything but ordinary.
"Is
that...!"
"Could it be,
Lisa-san?"
A flash of crimson
hair came into her view.
A bad feeling pierced
her chest.
As if spurred on by
that premonition, Camilla hurriedly jumped into the stairs, and Tima hurriedly
followed after her.
***
Looking down and not
meeting anyone's eyes, Lisa walked quickly down the hallway.
The contemptuous gazes
from her surroundings were gradually breaking her frozen heart.
Wanting to escape from
the gazes that pierced her like arrows, Lisa deliberately headed for the
deserted area behind the school building. The wall surrounding the academy was quite
high, and the dimly lit area behind the school would hide her from public view.
But before she could
catch her breath, several students leaped out in front of her.
They all had creepy,
grinning smiles on their faces.
"Lisa-san, do you
have a moment?"
The one who took a
step forward from the group was a female student she didn't know well.
She was probably a
fellow 3rd-grade, but she had her arms crossed and a smug look on
her face.
"...What is
it?"
"Just come with
me, I have a small favor to ask. Won't you do it for me?"
Lisa couldn't help but
step back.
She felt an
indescribable chill from the girl's sadistic smile.
"...I'm sorry, I
have to go."
"Just come
here!"
"Ouch! Wh-What
are you!"
Lisa's ponytail, as
she turned to leave, was pulled with all her might.
With a tearing sound,
several of Lisa's hairs were pulled out.
Ignoring her screams,
the girl threw Lisa's body against the wall behind her as if swinging her
around.
The men who had been
waiting in the back swarmed over Lisa, who was coughing from the impact.
They held down Lisa's
arms and legs, and covered her mouth so she couldn't chant magic.
"H-Hey. Is this
okay...?"
"It doesn't
matter. No one will care about a slut like this, right? Besides, I've never
liked this woman. For a mere commoner..."
"Mmph!"
As she said that, she
activated a concealment barrier.
The arrogance born
from her family being part of the privileged class. Perhaps she had thought she
could get rid of her now that her reputation had hit rock bottom due to the
incident caused by Ken, and had decided to act.
To be frank, she was
nothing more than a third-rate villain.
Of course, Lisa was
not a top-class powerhouse of the 3rd-grade for nothing.
She quickly kneed the
chin of the male student who was holding down her right leg, knocking him away,
and then kicked the side of the head of the student who was clinging to her
left leg.
"You!"
"Hmph!"
The male student who
had been holding down her left leg reached out to hold down her right leg as
well, but Lisa slammed a roundhouse kick into the male student's open cheek.
Letting out a muffled
scream, the student whose jaw had been kicked collapsed in agony.
All that was left was
to shake off the two students who were holding down her upper body.
"That's
enough!"
But the female
student, who had gritted her teeth at the resisting Lisa, shot a lightning bolt
that directly hit Lisa's stomach.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Letting out a scream,
Lisa's entire body convulsed.
It was undoubtedly a
blow with no mercy held back. Her uniform was burned where the lightning bolt
had hit her stomach, and it was painfully swollen and bright red.
"Hold her down
properly."
"Kuh...!"
As Lisa was
immobilized by the electric shock, the group of men began to hold her down
again.
Still, Lisa desperately
tried to move her numb limbs.
"It doesn't
matter, right? She's probably slept with a bunch of guys anyway."
"Don't be...
ridiculous. Who would... with you guys...!"
A skin-crawling
revulsion welled up at the men who were licking their lips in her ear.
Suppressing the
intense pain that bound her entire body, Lisa forcibly concentrated magic power
in both her arms.
Right now, her tongue
was numb, and she couldn't chant properly. If it came to this, she intended to
make her magic power go berserk and blow them all away together.
But the moment she
heard the name the female student had uttered, Lisa's resisting body froze.
"What is this
prostitute talking about? Does she still think she's pure?"
"!"
"I know, you
know, that you go to his place every day. Don't you think it's presumptuous to
try and get back with him now, after having betrayed him so horribly?"
Seeing Lisa's frozen
figure with her eyes wide open, the corners of the female student's mouth curled
up in amusement.
That distorted smile
told of how unbelievably happy she was to corner, hurt, and break an opponent
who was superior to her.
Furthermore, she
grabbed Lisa's hair and continued to shower her with words like a poisonous
incense.
"Do you really
think you can be by Nozomu's side now?"
Those words completely
robbed the resisting Lisa of her will to fight.
From her eyes, which
were open as wide as they could go, the light vanished in an instant.
"Oh- she's
quieted down. As expected, his name is super effective."
"Still, that was
ruthless."
"Hmph, I told
you, didn't I? I don't like her. I've been putting up with it all this time,
but I've reached my limit! This prostitute, and that bottom feeder. It's best
to get rid of trash quickly."
The words she spat out
were by no means those of a noble family. They were as hideous as filth.
The female student
snorted and glanced at Lisa with eyes as if looking at something disgusting.
"You guys, hurry
up. If we're found, it's going to be bad..."
"Hehe, I know.
Well then, I'll go first..."
Casually, one of the
male students was about to get on top of Lisa. The female student was watching
the scene with satisfaction.
"Oh? What is it
that would be bad if it were found..."
"!"
The air, which had
been thick with desire, was torn apart.
A shock ran through
the female student, who had been standing with her arms crossed and her lips
twisted. The male students who had been holding Lisa down also froze as if they
had been struck by lightning.
In the eyes of the
female student who had turned around, the figure of a female student walking
towards them with the setting sun at her back was reflected.
Her jet-black hair
fluttered in the wind, and the shadow of the same color that was cast covered
the assailants.
"I-Irisdina
Francilt..."
"You are the
young lady of the Tald family... What are you doing in a place like
this..."
Irisdina's sharp gaze
pierced the female student.
Next, it was directed
at the male students who were around, and finally at the pinned-down Lisa.
Her disheveled uniform
clearly told of what was about to happen here.
What floated in
Irisdina's eyes were feelings of contempt and anger.
An oozy rage,
unimaginable from her usual self-controlled self, emanated from her entire
body.
"N-No, that's..."
The female student
somehow managed to suppress her panic and began to desperately think of an
excuse.
However, her gaze was
not fixed, and her wandering eyes clearly showed that she couldn't hide her
agitation.
"Th-This is, you
see... Right! It's, so-called, training for an irregular battle... gya!"
"Let her
go."
Before the female
student could say anything, a magic bullet was shot out and blew away the
ground at her feet.
At the scattering
dirt, the female student couldn't help but scream.
For Irisdina, who had
experienced the cutthroat world of noble society, the excuse of the female
student in front of her was far too comical.
In the first place,
didn't she understand that committing such an act in a narrow place like an
academy was only increasing the risk of being witnessed?
The concealment
barrier was also crude. Approaching the target of the attack herself was, to be
frank, the act of a fool.
If she was going to
show herself, she should have thought about completely silencing the opponent,
but it was doubtful that this female student had thought that far.
If it were her, she
would thoroughly exploit the opponent's weakness to break their spirit, take
hostages, and in the end...
"!"
Irisdina was momentarily
stunned by the thought that had just occurred to her.
What in the world was
she thinking? She had thought of an act that would be despised by any human
being without any resistance.
She bit her lip
bitterly and shook her head, shaking off the hideous darkness that had appeared
in her mind.
"I-Irisdina-san,
this is... Guhah!"
"Don't make me
say it again. Let her go."
The female student was
still trying to say something, but Irisdina no longer had any intention of
listening.
She shot a
dark-colored magic bullet into her stomach, forcibly silencing her. Ironically,
that scene was a reenactment of her and Lisa's situation from just before.
While holding her
aching stomach, the female student glared back at Irisdina.
"Wh-What! You of
all people must be fed up with this woman!"
The fact that she
could still talk back made Irisdina grit her teeth, thinking she had misjudged
the power.
Unaware of the
narrowing-eyed Irisdina, the female student continued to get on her nerves by
shouting a stream of insults.
"You must be
annoyed by this woman too! I mean, can you forgive her?! A prostitute who can
so easily turn her face on someone after throwing them away just because the
situation has changed..."
"...Shut
up."
Multiple magic bullets
formed around Irisdina and rushed at the female student all at once.
A cloud of dust was
kicked up by the magic bullets that hit one after another.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
Irisdina reformed the
magic bullets as soon as she shot them and continued to pursue with her attack.
A barrage of attacks
that didn't even give her a chance to breathe quickly covered the fallen female
student.
"H-Hik..."
Eventually, when the
storm of magic bullets had passed, a trembling, unscathed female student was
there.
The ground around her
was gouged, and countless holes had been made.
Irisdina had not hit
the female student with the magic bullets she had shot. However, the magic
power imbued in the magic was undoubtedly of a practical combat specification.
Although Irisdina's
magic lacked power compared to Tima's, each of the magic bullets from before
had enough power to break a bone if it hit directly.
Witnessing that storm
of violence, the female student, although uninjured, was completely silenced by
the sheer terror.
Unable to even scream,
she was as frightened as a toddler.
"U-Uwaaah!"
Seeing the utterly
merciless storm of violence, a male student, whose tension had reached its
limit, let out a scream and tried to turn his back and run away.
An arrow pierced the
ground at that student's feet.
"Where do you
think you're going?"
The male student
inadvertently turned his eyes to where the arrow had come from, and there was
an elf girl with her blue hair fluttering in the wind, holding a bow.
"Shina Juliel..."
"Oh, if you want
to run, go ahead. Of course, you'll end up with two or three unnecessary things
growing out of your body, though..."
Shina, with a bright
smile, was aiming at the space between the male student's eyebrows with great
intimidation.
Although her tone was
calm, from the tightly drawn string, a clear intention of not letting a single
one escape was emanating.
She was definitely
planning to hit him with one or two arrows. There was no way the male students
could escape now.
"Kuuuh..."
"Well now, it
seems there's no need to ask you any questions."
"Inda-sensei..."
In front of the male
students who were letting out muffled groans, Inda, holding a textbook, now
appeared.
"I rushed here
after hearing the report... As expected, this is not something I can just watch
and let pass."
"U-Uuuh..."
Glancing at the
hanging-headed male students, Inda quickly used a binding magic.
Including the students
who had been waiting for a chance to escape behind the male students, all of
them were wrapped up in iron chains.
"Lisa! Are you
okay!?"
"Ai, and
Inda-sensei!"
Camilla and Tima, who
had seen the beginning of the incident on the rooftop, finally arrived at the
scene.
"There's no need
to worry here. It seems the 'eyes' were functioning properly..."
Inda glanced at the
two who had rushed in, and then glanced at the shadow of the school building in
the distance.
A human figure,
silhouetted in the shadow of the setting sun, silently disappeared. A member of
Starlight, who had remained at the academy for surveillance.
Inda grabbed the hand
of the trembling female student who was sitting on the ground and made her
stand up.
" There were a few students who just didn't know when to give up, so... Shina-kun
and the others, I will take these students and report to Jihad-dono. I'm sorry,
but for a while, I'll leave Lisa-kun to you."
As Shina, Camilla, and
Tima nodded at Inda's words, she took the hand of the dejected female student
and dragged the restrained male students away.
What they had done was
undoubtedly a crime; no matter how they tried to excuse themselves, they would
not escape expulsion. They might even end up eating foul prison food for a
while.
Although she was using
enhancement magic, the sight of the slender Inda dragging several people at
once was quite surreal. However, there was no one present who had the courage
to point that out now.
Ignoring Tima and the
others who were seeing Inda off with a strange atmosphere, the gazes of
Irisdina, Shina, and Lisa clashed.
"Th-Thank...
you..."
The assault must have
been quite a shock. Lisa's voice, as she straightened her disheveled uniform,
was small and trembling.
Irisdina frowned. Her
clenched hand was trembling slightly, as if enduring something.
Tightening her lips,
Irisdina turned on her heel without a word.
"...Aren't you
going to say anything?"
To her back, Lisa had
unintentionally spoken.
She herself didn't
know why she had blurted out such words.
"What do you want
me to say?"
Irisdina's shoulders
trembled. Before she knew it, she was glaring back at Lisa with eyes full of
rage.
The her that had
turned around squared her shoulders and approached Lisa, grabbing her by the
collar.
Their faces were so
close they could almost feel each other's breath.
Irisdina, glaring at
Lisa with intense anger. Witnessing her like that, Lisa's eyes widened.
"Are you kidding
me!? Of course there's a mountain of things I want to say!"
"Ugh...!"
Her enraged figure, so
unlike her usual calm self.
Even Tima, who had
known her the longest, had never seen Irisdina so openly angry.
Her hand gripping Lisa’s
collar tightened further, and Lisa couldn't help but let out a groan.
"But what would
happen if I said them!? Even if I did, Nozomu wouldn't wake up! And besides..."
It would go against
his will. About to say that, Irisdina fell silent with a stunned expression.
What in the world was
she about to say? When the only person in this world who could say that was
him.
The insults that had
leaked out. At the words of condemnation she had spoken, she bit her lip.
"Ugh-uu-gh!"
Sobs that she couldn't
hold back seeped from her tightly closed lips. Lisa, Shina, everyone present
was at a loss for words.
How long had she been
like that? Irisdina suddenly pushed Lisa away, turned on her heel, and ran off.
"Ai!"
Tima couldn't help but
call out, but Irisdina showed no sign of stopping at all.
"...Tima-san.
Leave this to me and chase after Irisdina-san."
"Shina-san..."
"Hurry. You'll
lose her."
"Y-Yeah!
Please!"
Shina, who had glanced
at Tima, urged her to follow.
Tima, who had been
hesitating, her gaze wandering, gave a firm nod at Shina's words and ran after
Irisdina.
Shina saw off Tima,
who had gone after Irisdina, and then approached Lisa, who was still sitting on
the ground in a daze.
"Good grief,
you're not a fool, are you? What did you want to achieve by saying that?"
"..."
At Shina's exasperated
voice, Lisa remained silent, looking down.
At her state, Shina
sighed and began to treat her injuries.
Camilla also
immediately began to help Shina, and for a while, only the sound of healing
magic and bandages being wrapped flowed through the area.
Eventually, after the
treatment was finished, Shina began to speak.
"Since Nozomu
wouldn't punish you, you wanted to be blamed by us at least... is that about
right?"
"..."
Lisa's lips were
bitten tightly.
That was nothing other
than the fact that Shina's words had hit the mark.
Lisa's reputation
within the academy had, to be frank, hit rock bottom. If she walked through the
academy, she would be met with contemptuous gazes from all over, and she had
even come to be assaulted like just now.
It was a mirror image
of Nozomu's situation from the past.
But what lingered most
in Lisa's ears was the words the female student had just uttered: "Do you
really think you can be by Nozomu's side now?"
Those words, which
vividly presented her with her own sin, had caused her to engage in
self-destructive behavior.
"Well, to be
frank, I want to say, 'Are you kidding me?'
I have my own thoughts
about you, but the one who has the right to say them is not us, nor the other
unrelated students. It's only Nozomu-kun.
What's more, your
actions are nothing but an act of contempt for his feelings."
Before Shina's words,
Lisa continued to remain silent.
But even without
words, she knew. That there was no point in doing such a thing, and that Nozomu
wished for her to recover.
Lisa was happy that
Nozomu cared about her, envious of Irisdina and the others who could be by his
side, and pathetic and miserable for not being able to believe in him
completely.
Lisa's earlier lack of
resistance was nothing but an act of escape that Lisa took on the spur of the
moment, as she was on the verge of being crushed by her own guilt.
At the same time, Lisa
felt a little envious of the elf girl who could think of Nozomu in such a way.
"...You also like
Nozomu, don't you?"
"...Wha!?"
At the words Lisa had
suddenly uttered, Shina let out a strange cry.
Perhaps not expecting
such a reaction, Lisa tilted her head in surprise.
"...Am I
wrong?"
"N-No... but.
...You can tell?"
"Yeah, me
too..."
Because I loved him.
Those words did not
come from Lisa's mouth, and along with the guilt that was still swirling in her
chest, she swallowed her own feelings.
To such a Lisa, Shina
said nothing and had a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Perhaps the
reason I can talk so properly like this is because my feelings for him are the
weakest. I only recently realized that I was attracted to him, after
all..."
While looking at Shina
like that, Lisa was inwardly exasperated, thinking, "What is she talking
about?"
Even though the time
she had realized her feelings was late, the girl in front of her was properly
understanding Nozomu's will and trying to support him.
This girl is doing
more for him than she is. Lisa was keenly aware that this was something that
could not be done without strong feelings.
"A-Anyway! If you
care for Nozomu-kun, you must strictly refrain from doing anything rash. That
would be nothing but a betrayal to him, who desperately suppressed his own
hatred.
You don't want to
betray him any more, do you?"
Her cheeks, as white
as snow, dyed crimson, Shina continued to speak.
At those words, Lisa
gave a small, but firm nod.
She had betrayed
Nozomu so much until now. As that female student had said, perhaps she no
longer had the right to be by his side.
But she didn't want to
betray him any more. She didn't want to treat his feelings with contempt. That
will lit a small flame in Lisa's chest.
"Then that's
fine. Camilla-san, I'll leave the rest to you, okay?"
Quickly standing up, Shina
turned on her heel and walked away.
"Ah, um. ...Thank
you."
To her departing back,
Lisa bowed her head.
Shina raised her right
hand in reply without turning around and disappeared towards the main gate.
Passing through the
main gate and arriving at the central park, Shina looked around to confirm that
no one was there, then suddenly covered her face and crouched on the spot.
"Ugh, I'm
starting to feel embarrassed now..."
Upon closer
inspection, not only her cheeks peeking from between her fingers, but even the
tips of her ears were dyed bright red.
"L-l-l-like, she
say... I let someone else know that I like Nozomu-kun. Auu, it's so
embarrassing..."
Having just become
aware of her love for Nozomu the other day, and then a sudden coming-out.
While writhing in the
realization of love and shame, Shina shook her head so violently it seemed as
if it would snap off.
With each shake, her
long blue hair bounced cutely like a dog's tail.
But no matter how much
she shook her head, the heat in her face would not subside.
In the end, for nearly
30 minutes, she was writhing alone in the park, while occasionally receiving
strange looks from people who passed by.
***
Meanwhile, Irisdina,
who had run away from Lisa and the others, was racing through the city,
breathing heavily.
The people around were
stunned, wondering what was going on with the beautiful girl running at a
tremendous speed.
But Irisdina,
completely unaware of the gazes from her surroundings, was running straight for
a certain place.
Ignoring the guards
who tried to stop her, and not even hearing the voice of the female doctor she
had bumped into in the hallway, she headed for Nozomu's hospital room.
In front of Irisdina,
who had opened the door so roughly it was like she had slammed it, Nozomu was,
as always, breathing peacefully.
"Hah, hah, hah,
hah..."
Without even calming
her ragged breathing, Irisdina walked over to the bed where Nozomu was
sleeping.
"Nozomu..."
His name, which
Irisdina had murmured, dissolved and disappeared into the hospital room.
She placed her hand on
her throbbing chest.
No matter how hard she
clenched her chest until her hands turned white, no matter how much she gritted
her teeth, no matter how much she suppressed it, the aching pain was seeping
out like a leaky roof.
"H-Hey, wake up.
You've been sleeping too long, you know? If you don't wake up soon, you'll fall
behind in your classes."
Words meant to
maintain her composure. But her voice was trembling and strained.
The smile she tried to
force was stiff, and before she knew it, she was biting her lip.
"Somia and Shina-kun
and the others are worried too. And, and..."
Her mind was a
complete blank, and no words would come to her. Just the same words, like a
snake biting its own tail, were ringing round and round.
"Wake up, please
wake up...! Let me hear your voice..."
Wanting to escape from
the heart-wrenching pain, Irisdina shook the sleeping Nozomu. It was just like
the past scene where she had clung to her silent mother.
The scene from her
childhood that came to mind further accelerated Irisdina's impatience.
But to her pained
voice, Nozomu gave no response.
Slowly, Irisdina's
eyes welled up with tears.
When a single tear ran
down her cheek, she could no longer stop it.
Tears overflowed as if
a dam had broken, and Irisdina clung to Nozomu's chest.
"Fuh-guh. Uuh... Uh-uu...!"
Clenching the blanket
covering Nozomu as if to tear it apart, she buried her face and just sobbed.
One after another,
tears overflowed and wet Nozomu's chest, but he continued to breathe
peacefully.
When she raised her
face, his sleeping face was right there.
His features were not
particularly striking. But when he smiled, it warmed her from the bottom of her
heart. But now...
"Hic, hic...
Nozomu..."
She brought her face
close and gently touched Nozomu's cheek.
Then, Irisdina pressed
her own lips against Nozomu's.
Her first kiss.
Shina had kissed
Nozomu to make a contract to calm the rampaging him in the forest.
Like Shina at that
time, just wanting Nozomu to wake up, Irisdina continued to press her lips
against his.
But her wish was in
vain, and Nozomu's eyelids did not open.
"..."
Irisdina gently sat up
and left the hospital room in a daze.
She no longer felt any
pain in her chest. She could only feel a gaping hole and an intense chill.
It was already dark
outside.
As she was wandering
through the city with unsteady steps, she was suddenly embraced from behind.
"Ai!"
"Tima... is that
you?"
The familiar voice of
her best friend was shouting Irisdina's name.
Even though the name
was shouted in her ear, it sounded somehow distant.
"Yeah..."
"What are you
doing? In a place like this..."
What in the world was
she doing in a place like this?
In her thoughts, which
were not working well, only her mouth was reflexively producing words.
Tima did not answer
Irisdina's question and continued to embrace her from behind.
"I'm okay. I'm...
okay."
Although she repeated
the same words like a parrot, her exhausted atmosphere had no persuasive power
at all.
As if to comfort her,
Tima's arms, which were enveloping Irisdina, tightened.
"It's okay, it's
ok... uuh."
At that warmth,
Irisdina's frozen emotions were rekindled.
At the same time, the
tears that should have dried up welled up again.
As if to hide the face
of Irisdina, who had begun to let out sobs, Tima shifted her body and enveloped
Irisdina’s face in her chest.
"Uuuh,
ahhh..."
While enveloped in her
best friend's warmth, Irisdina began to sob again.
The people around were
turning their eyes to them, wondering what was going on, but she didn't care
about that.
"Fuguu, uuh!
Hic... ahhhhhhhhhh!"
"Ai..."
People cannot directly
feel the hearts of others.
Just how anxious had
she been? Just how much anger had she endured? Just how much had her heart been
on the verge of breaking?
Her heart was on the
verge of breaking over her unawakening beloved, she was jealous of that
beloved's former lover, and she had failed in her desperate attempt to suppress
that anger.
While hiding
Irisdina's face, Tima continued to accept her overflowing passion.
At that moment, in the
corner of Tima's vision, she caught the shadow of a person running towards the
academy in a panic.
"Is that..."
The one approaching
was a female doctor in a white coat. With a look of panic all over her face,
she was running at full speed towards the academy.
Something had happened
to Nozomu.
In the depths of
Tima's chest, a premonition close to certainty was welling up.
-----
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